plural spices
1
: a plant product (such as pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, or ginger) that is used to season or flavor foods and is usually comprised of seeds, fruits, bark, or rhizomes that have been dried and typically ground
2
3
: a pungent or fragrant odor : perfume
spiced; spicing
1
: to season with spices
2
: to add zest or relish to
… cynicism spiced with humor.—
J. W. Dawson
—often used with up
J. W. DawsonExamples of spice in a Sentence
Noun
The soup needs a little more spice.
a cologne for men that captures all of the spice of the sea
Verb
I spiced the chicken with ginger.
spice the stew with more pepper
Recent Examples on the Web
Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
So much of what Diaspora is doing is making sure that the farmers’ spices are getting to you in a beautiful, fresh state.
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
The new upgrade was unveiled March 30 at Wendy’s restaurants nationwide, so maybe now's a good time to spice up your lunch routine.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spice
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Noun
For example, spice maker McCormick initially warned investors that tariffs could cost $70 million in fiscal 2025 as prices for black pepper, cinnamon and vanilla were projected to rise.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
So much of what Diaspora is doing is making sure that the farmers’ spices are getting to you in a beautiful, fresh state.
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Active engagement with new perspectives could’ve helped spice things up, but there’s only so much generational commentary available when the priorities of those generations are taken off the table.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
The new upgrade was unveiled March 30 at Wendy’s restaurants nationwide, so maybe now's a good time to spice up your lunch routine.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spice
Cite this Entry
“Spice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spice. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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